Rejuvenated Confidence Gives Bryan Silas High Hopes For Daytona |
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Topics: Bryan Silas, ARCA 200 at Daytona
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Chris Knight
Fast Track Racing
February 5, 2008
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (February 5, 2008) - - After a successful rookie year campaign in the ARCA RE/MAX Series (ARS) last year, Stuart Florida’s Bryan Silas is raising the bar and plans to take a major leap forward in kicking off his 2008 season on the right foot with a top-10 finish in Saturday’s ARCA 200 at Daytona.
Silas, driving for two-time ARCA RE/MAX Series champion and new Rockingham Speedway owner Andy Hillenburg is anxious to make his second career start at Daytona International Speedway and with more confidence as a sophomore driver on the circuit; Silas feels that his third career restrictor plate start could equal the results that his Fast Track Racing team are eager for.
“I’m really anxious to get back to racing,” said the 20-year Silas. “It seems it’s been forever since our last race. I’m just glad the wait is over.”
During the intensively busy off-season, car owner Andy Hillenburg took his ARCA team to another level by adding veteran ARCA crew chief Jeff McClure to the team’s operation and thus far, the results have been stunning. McClure has brought a new outlook to Fast Track Racing not to mention putting Silas on a path towards a brighter future.
“I cannot tell you how much this team has taken a turn in the right direction since Jeff came onboard,” continued Silas. “He is a very determined person. He pretty much demands perfection, especially from his driver. He has taught me an awful lot during this off-season and I feel that what I’ve learned can improve this team even at a race like Daytona.”
Speaking of Daytona, the Fast Track Racing team has spent plenty of time while remaining focused on improving the team’s No. 11 Ford Fusion. A successful open test at Daytona last December in addition to a private test in January at Talladega Superspeedway have allowed the team to make changes with the hopes of unloading strong in what is anticipated to be one of the most tightest fields in ARCA history. “We’ve lost count on how many hours the team has devoted time to our Daytona car,” sounded Silas. “We know that this is an important race and we have to do everything we can to make sure we come out of the box strong. Jeff has made some changes to the car with the intent to put us near the front, we’re all extremely confident in those changes.”
With a 23rd place finish in last year’s ARCA 200 at Daytona, Silas is the first to admit that confidence and patience is everything at Daytona. “We had a good car last year, just some bad luck. We blew a couple tires and it really put a dent in our finish. This year, we’re going in with the same strategy as last year, but as a team we just have to be a little more cautious. I have to be more alert to possible debris on the track and our guys are going to make sure we can avoid any hiccups from pit road. Daytona is a lot of luck. You can have the strongest car in the field but without luck, all that hard work is down the drain. We’re aiming for a top-10 and we’re going to keep that in mind all week.”
Nortrax, ICI Homes, Shell Rotella T, Holland Pump, Palm Beach Grading (PBG) and Rockingham Speedway will all sponsor the No. 11 Ford Fusion in the 45th ARCA event held at Daytona International Speedway (DIS).
“Our sponsor lineup for the 2008 season is great,” noted Silas. “We have several of our sponsors from last year returning for another exciting year and I can’t tell you what that means to me. It’s going to be a good year; I just have a good feeling about it. I also want to thank ICI Homes for jumping onboard with us for Daytona. We’re always thrilled to add new sponsors and we hope they enjoy the taste of ARCA at its finest.”
Heading into Daytona, Silas has 29 ARCA RE/MAX Series starts to his credit with a career best finish of eighth at Salem Speedway (April 2007) and Kentucky Speedway (July 2007) while holding an additional top-10 performance at USA International Speedway (March 2007). He holds a career best short track time trials effort of seventh at Berlin Raceway (July 2007). A fourth place qualifying effort at Pocono Raceway (June 2007) is Silas's best speedway run to date. He has controlled the ARCA field for 23 laps in two races.
Silas will make his second career start at “The World Center Of Speed” on Saturday afternoon. Silas notched a 22nd place finish at Talladega Superspeedway, the other lone restrictor plate track on the ARCA circuit last October.
The ARCA 200 at Daytona (80 laps/200 miles) is the first of 21 events on the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. The 45th ARCA race held at Daytona is a three-day show. Practice begins Thursday, February 7 with a five hour practice session planned from 12:00-5:00 p.m. ARCA SIM Factory pole qualifying is set for Friday, February 8 slated to begin at 12:00 p.m. A one hour and five minute final practice session is etched in on Friday evening from 5:10pm-6:15pm. The event will take the green flag on Saturday, February 9 shortly after 4:00 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional race coverage online at arcaracing.com. All times are local.
For more on Bryan Silas please visit, BryanSilasRacing.com
Visit Fast Track Racing on the web at, FastTrackRacing.com
Bryan Silas, Fast Track Racing, Daytona International Speedway , Notes of Interest:
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